With expectations constantly rising, companies are seeking
service options that allow companies to learn more about their
customers to help them resolve issues and complete transactions
quickly and efficiently. Innovative solutions abounded at
ICMI Contact Center Expo with updated multichannel customer
experience measurement tools, versatile contact center management
solutions and advanced support applications. In this final report,
we review some products presented on the exhibit floor.

Beyond the opportunity to get product information from
approximately 70 suppliers, professionals at the ICMI Contact
Center Expo in Orlando, FL (May 4-7) were able to take advantage of
a number of educational and social events in and out of the exhibit
hall. The show floor included book signings, Solution Spotlight
sessions focusing on the benefits of specific products, an opening
night reception, an Awards Party, as well as external site tours of
the Disney World Reservations Center, Jet Blue...

There
was a buzz on the show floor during exhibit hall hours at the ICMI
Contact Center Expo and Conference. The organizers kept the hall
open during times when there weren’t any formal conference sessions
scheduled. This concentrated timeframe gave exhibitors greater
access to the contact center professionals in attendance, keeping
them constantly busy discussing their solutions. In this second
part of our coverage, we examined the perspectives of PSS Help, Salesforce Service Cloud and TCN.

As a frequent keynote speaker on workforce optimization at
tradeshows and conferences, Roger Lee (AKA Dr. WFO) is always a
little surprised
when some of the contact center professionals in the audience don’t
know what the acronym “WFO” means.

Most people are more familiar with the term Workforce Management
(WFM), which is actually a component of WFO. Workforce optimization
is a more inclusive technology that not only incorporates staffing
requirements, but usually includes tools for strategic...

PACE,
the Professional Association for Customer Engagement, is a
non-profit industry trade organization dedicated to helping
companies that take a multi-channel approach in engaging their
B-to-B and B-to-C customers. PACE held its annual national
convention and expo at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis from
April 19-22, 2015. Delegates from the full spectrum of contact
center operations and businesses turned out to gain insight on the
latest evolving technologies, and to stay on top of...

Self-service options give customers the chance
to fulfill their needs through their preferred channel. According
to NewVoiceMedia.com, 60% of customers will change
their contact channel based on what they’re doing and where they
are. Consumers who would normally call for help may opt for
self-service troubleshooting if they’re watching TV or at work, for
example. Thanks to location features, language can be adjusted to
suit the user’s geographical area, making self-service solutions
even more...

The more efficient a workforce,
the better customer relationships will be managed and the more
profitable the company will be. According to Forrester Research,
just 31% of brands carefully monitor customer interactions for
quality. In 2015, contact centers will see better CRM software with
features that will enable the brand to target, observe, and improve
key performance indicators (KPIs), while also letting companies
watch metrics in real time. Collected data will show companies
where there...

The article below is a reprint from the December DMG Consulting, LLC
The Real-Time Contact Center Newsletter.

"Here are 4 hot contact center trends that are expected to
attract substantial investments during 2015. All of these trends
will make substantial contributions to their enterprises, customers
and employees.

There’s a major disconnect between the perceived value of
knowledge management and the current state of KM at most companies,
as evidenced by findings from the annual
State of Knowledge Management report from TSIA, an association
of support leaders from top-tier companies.

Just take a look at some of the findings from the report:

79% of customer self-service channels don’t recommend help or
content 70% of companies have not made their support knowledge
mobile-accessible 30-35% of contact center... continue reading this post »

Improving Customer Service by Looking at it From the Customer’s
Perspective

At the heart of the customer experience is the actual customer
and everything he or she encounters in trying to find information,
complete a transaction or resolve an issue. At the 2014 SpeechTEK,
CRM Evolution and Customer Service Experience event, which was held
in New York August 18-20, one common theme was the need for
organizations to better understand the customer journey from the
customer’s point of view. Companies...

For most businesses that haven’t already migrated their contact
center to the cloud, the ultimate decision that needs to be made is
not “whether” to take the step, but “why” and “when.” While
continuing to acknowledge the cost and productivity benefits of
making the transition, solution providers can also provide a
plethora of additional incentives, including dramatically enhanced
flexibility, creating a competitive advantage and increased
functionality. As always, cloud solutions were plentiful...

Keeping employees engaged and motivated are the most important
factors in establishing and maintaining a productive, effective
contact center workforce. Intelligent onboarding and
consistent leadership are critical elements in the process. Some
people in the industry also think of gamification as a powerful set
of solutions to decrease turnover and improve productivity while
others remain skeptical. In the next in our series of reports from
Call Center Week, we offer perspectives from a pioneer...

One of the key measurements of success in any contact center
environment is achieving a higher level of customer satisfaction.
Businesses are increasing their use of sophisticated knowledge
management tools, behavioral analytics, and contact center
technologies to better engage their customers while improving agent
performance and productivity. Companies are seeking solutions
that offer ease of implementation, flexibility and the potential
for rapid ROI. In this report on emerging...

Call Center Week, widely recognized as one of the industry’s
most comprehensive educational and product information events,
continued its pattern of growth in 2014. The event took place
in Las Vegas June 9-13, with approximately 1,500 call center
professionals, including experts from more than 150 exhibitors
gathering at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to exchange ideas,
explore emerging technologies, hear from leading authorities, and
discuss what’s working in contact centers across a broad...

In a bold move to increase its already substantial presence in
the marketplace, contact center software/agent optimization tools
provider inContact has
announced the acquisition of WFO specialist Uptivity. Based in
Columbus, OH, Uptivity (formerly known by its still-official
business name CallCopy Inc.) provides a complete mid-market WFO
suite which encompasses speech and desktop analytics, agent
coaching, call and desktop recording, as well as quality,
performance, workforce management and...